A mesh network comprises nodes or stations which communicate with each other without the aid of a central control, such as a base station.
The stations themselves keep tracks of neighboring stations, or peers, and the communication between stations may be relayed by multihop through one or more intermediate peers from one station to another.
Mesh networks are created according to the IEEE 802.11 Mesh standard which defines mesh protocols. In order to keep track on neighboring peers and be able to detect new peers entering the network, the stations are configured according to the 802.11 Mesh Protocol to broadcast mesh beacons. Each station may broadcast a mesh beacon at certain periods in order to gain an update of neighbors in the mesh network,
The Peer Protocol results in linearly increased power consumption as the mesh network expands with new stations entering the network.
In order to save power within the mesh network, the 802.11 Mesh Power Save Mode dictates that stations may enter sleep mode in an unsynchronized manner in relation to other mesh stations in the network.
However, the Power Save Mode results in an increased latency within the network and, hence, a less efficient mesh network.
Mesh networks also often suffer from congestion and contention since several stations may try to communicate on the same network resources at the same time.
Overall, there is a need for a mesh network with less risk of congestion and contention, better throughput and higher power efficiency.